Oregon cherry growers decry lack of farmworkers
Some Oregon farmers contend that the U.S. government's decision to place National Guard troops along the Mexican border is contributing to a shortage of workers to pick ripe fruit.
Though cherry growers can use machines to harvest their crop, the hand-picked fruit is more desirable. More stems are left on hand-picked fruit, adding to the presentation of maraschino cherries dropped in cocktails and placed atop ice cream sundaes.
Boo hoo. I hope that you cherry pickers who are whining experience a plague of locusts on your farms. And I personally and not willing to trade the "presentation" of a cherrry for the rape of children (and puppies and nuns), the importation of meth and other drugs, the bankrupting of our state and federal funds, the endless bi-lingual nonsense we see and the identity theft.
You want a cherry with the stem still on it? Pick it your damn self.
16 comments:
Could it be those who once picked Cherries gave it up to Mule Meth from Mexico as it pays better and Sleepy Ted is helping boost the demand?
the price of cherries will have to go up to pay for the new high priced welfare loosers to pick it.oh thats right we pay these loosers to stay home and do nothing
they have gotten comfortable with the cheap labor and now they're complaining when the hayride is over.
it's time to step up and pay the piper
Who ever said that local Cherries selling for $4.99 a pound is cheap?
Its time for me to go have a good cry for the Starving Cherry Farmers!!
Least they have a Pot to Pick in!
Or advertise that you need to hire people (at *gasp* at least minimum wage). There's this thing called craigslist that allows you to post jobs on the internet for free. If farming is such hard work, then it deserves higher wages.
We could make those guys legal workers, but then, get this, we'll have to pay them legal wages! Then the farmer will have to find slave labor somewhere else. Legalizing the workers doesn't solve the problem. Get the farmers.
We just bought 5 lbs of cherries picked by the hands of Oregon's hard working immigrants. Funny part is that there are so many people buying them that stores are getting low.
This reminds me of the local pawn shops that are sniveling because the city council wants to have them use a sophisticated computer system to track their purchases. Imagine this complaint: Gee, we know that a lot of the merchandise we sell is stolen but that's how we keep our prices down. What are we to do now?
Let's work on getting these farmers legal labor. Kids, adults who need to supplement their income. That's what we did when I was a kid and it was a great learning experience and it also provided me with spending money and kept me out of trouble in the summer. Instead of parents spending hours trying to keep their children busy in over organized activities (soccer, t-ball, etc.) how about we organize to help farmers.
This reminds me of the local pawn shops that are sniveling because the city council wants to have them use a sophisticated computer system to track their purchases. Imagine this complaint: Gee, we know that a lot of the merchandise we sell is stolen but that's how we keep our prices down. What are we to do now?
Let's work on getting these farmers legal labor. Kids, adults who need to supplement their income. That's what we did when I was a kid and it was a great learning experience and it also provided me with spending money and kept me out of trouble in the summer. Instead of parents spending hours trying to keep their children busy in over organized activities (soccer, t-ball, etc.) how about we organize to help farmers.
Could it be that the farmers can't get "foreign workers" to work for them anymore is because they are now driving trucks, working as electricians, bricklayers, etc... you know - doing the jobs that Americans are not doing because the "foreign workers" have taken them all?
But - pay an American a real wage, and also knock off the phony "child labor" law BS, and there would be plenty of hands to pick your crops.
But, hey - that's just my 2 cents.
but worth a million, shaky!
Thanks, Bear!
Sometimes I can get a thought out before it dies of loneliness!
shaky, you are not alone!!
If the President gets the guest worker program he wants and the amnesty for all the illegal here, those cherry growers had best get used to the idea of 12 million card carrying union cherry pickers!
For what it is worth the same sad sob story ran on the CA grape growers last week.
Once these now cheap wokers are citizens there will be no keeping them down on the farm!
Especially when they'll have to be paid $15 an hour when they're legal. Just saw the thing on the morning news that said the cherry farmers are just planning on leaving the cherries to rot instead of salvaging them with higher paid (legal) workers. Sounds like a 5 year old throwing a fit. Grow up and obey the law.
Doesn't matter. I don't buy cherries anyway. Ever.
I saw on the news last night an interview with a cherry picker.
He was complaining about this and said that he had a ton of "kids" calling to pick cherries. And he tells them no!
Hello! You have willing labor! You just don't want to admit that there are people willing to pick them for you without them being illegal!
Hellooooo! Illegals become "legal" ... "legal" latinos join agricultural unions ... ever hear of the "prevailing wage" laws?
Will we ever be able to afford to buy fresh fruit again? Well, you can if you live in the Willamette Valley and go to some of the small family farms like Thistledown or Lone Pine.
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